Chapter
VIII : BELONGING
It
was already afternoon, when Gimli deemed it safe enough to let Cyrene
sleep. Through the morning most of the archers who had fought beside them
had walked to the place where they were camped to pay their respects to
Cyrene. She had talked to each and every one of them, calling them by
their name and smiling and making the effort to make them feel special.
But
the entire sitting up and smiling and pretending to be well had taken
its toll on the Amazon. As she fell asleep leaning on a grain sack and
still covered by Legolas' cloak, the dwarf walked over to her and softly
pulled her down, until she was lying more comfortably on the floor.
She
had been sleeping for a short while, when a group of soldiers approached
them, walking in the middle of them was Eomer, heir to the throne of Rohan.
Legolas
made a sign to Gimli to stay with Cyrene and met the group of men halfway.
"Greetings,
Marshall of Rohan. You fought well at a difficult battle."
"Greetings
Master Elf, I have heard wondrous tales about your skill on the battlefield.
I am here to see Cyrene." Eomer kept his tone civil but was upset to be
intercepted on his way to see the Amazon, more so as he saw her lying
on the ground next to the dwarf and his concern for her well being grew.
Legolas
remembered vividly the scene between Eomer and Cyrene that he had walked
upon in Edoras. And he understood Eomer's lack of patience for finding
out if the woman was well, but Gimli and he had taken over the care of
Cyrene, at least for the moment, and right now the beat up Amazon needed
her rest.
"I
am afraid Milord, you may not disturb her now. She is resting from her
battle injuries and she was in sore need of sleep."
Eomer
felt anger and frustration rise. This Elf dared to stop him from seeing
her! And for a moment he regretted having allowed her to join the army,
but he also new there hadn't been a thing he could have done, short of
locking her up in the dungeon, to keep her from doing what she wanted.
His newly discovered feelings for the Amazon were raging inside of him.
And there was Legolas again, intercepting him on his way to her side.
Was she really that badly hurt? But the archers had told him about her
being well, only exhausted. He wanted to see for himself, his heart aching
with the need to see her and making sure she would be fine.
"What
injuries are those you are referring to, Master Legolas? I lost sight
from your group in the battle. I did not know she was hurt."
"She
was hit in the head by an orc. A severe blow. But Mistress Cyrene kept
on fighting until the end of the battle. She isn't hurting much now, but
we kept her awake from dawn on to be sure she wouldn't fall into the "endless
sleep" many men wounded in the head fall to. She is resting now. " Legolas
could read Eomer's thoughts in his face as clearly as if they were written
on his forehead. And for a moment, he felt uneasy at the thought of the
Marshall being close to Cyrene. Was it...Was it jealousy?" Legolas thought
and shook his head almost imperceptibly at the thought. He couldn't be
jealous about a woman he had met but days ago. He must be even more tired
from the fight than he thought. "I want to see how she fares. Step aside,
Master Elf." Said Eomer. He was going to see her.
Legolas
stood his ground. He looked from Eomer to the soldiers around him and
decided not to let them pass.
"I
am sorry, Marshall, but you may not."
Eomer
took a deep breath, as he sensed the tension growing in the men around
him. Some even put their hands on their swords. The elf was unarmed. He
knew of the Rohirrim's distrust of strangers, and who could be more foreign
to them than the creature before him or the sturdy dwarf who was now standing
in front of Cyrene's sleeping form?
"May
I come close and see her, Master Legolas? I won't disturb her sleep."
Legolas
turned to Gimli, whose hand was holding the grip of Cyrene's battle-axe
as if measuring it. The dwarf nodded, imperceptibly for human eyes, but
clearly for the elf's keen sight.
Legolas
turned to Eomer. "You may approach her, Milord Marshall, but please do
it alone."
Eomer
turned to his entourage and made them a sign to stay behind.
He
stepped closer to where Cyrene lay, and Gimli gave him space to kneel
next to the sleeping woman.
She
was sleeping on her right side, cuddled up in Legolas cloak. The bruise
on the left side of her face was turning from black and blue to purple
and yellow. The rest of her face was pale, so much that her normally tanned
skin seemed lifeless and the freckles on her nose stood out to the eye.
There were also dark shadows under her closed eyes. But she was sleeping
peacefully; there was also a hint of a smile on her lips. Eomer fought
the urge to smooth a tendril of hair from her face. The elf and the dwarf
were right. She was fine now. But he wasn't leaving her with them. She
belonged to Eowyn, to Rohan, she belonged to him. He stood up and turned
to Gimli and Legolas and spoke.
"She
is not well and you cannot provide the proper care for her. She is a captain
of the army of the Mark. She will be brought to the infirmary, there it
will be seen to all of her needs."
Legolas
took a step toward Eomer, his hand resting on the dagger at his belt.
"She
only needs to rest now, Marshall, leave her alone. She has been taken
care of."
"You
don't need to concern yourself further with Mistress Cyrene, Master Elf."
"But
she will remain with us until she wakes up and decides what to do."
The
argument was being held in loud and angry voices, both men trying to keep
the appearance of civility but getting carried away by the each other's
stubbornness. Gimli put a hand on Legolas arm and motioned his head towards
Cyrene, who was awake, trying to get up. As she accomplished it, she staggered
slightly and both, Legolas and Eomer wanted to help her but she didn't
let them close. She gained her balance and looked at both, fury raging
in her eyes. "It seems that men around me have forgotten that I am my
own and not some kind of property to be fought over. If it pleases you
both to continue your argument, do so. But look for another object for
your quarry. I am returning to my company of archers."
She
received her bow from Gimli's hands and smiled brightly at him, then turned
around, and leaning on her bow she strode past Legolas, Eomer and Eomer's
soldiers, ignoring all of them, headed towards the tents of the army set
on the other side of the bay.
After
Eomer and his men had left, Legolas had sat down across Gimli and was
glowering at the dwarf. "She should have stayed here. We are her comrades
in arms, we fought at her side and we took care of her." " But she has
lived for a long time in Edoras, Legolas. The Marshall thinks he has some
rights where she is concerned" reasoned Gimli "And Eomer and you where
arguing about her as if she were … hmmm … cattle?"
Legolas
blushed. Gimli was right, and assuming Cyrene was as proud as the Amazons
were told to be, he had insulted her and her independence. If he treasured
her friendship, he had behaved like an utter fool, no matter what his
intentions had been. And he still wasn't sure about his intentions towards
Cyrene.
Gimli
observed his friends face, and even though he couldn't read the elf's
thoughts, he knew that Legolas thoughts weren't far away, at least not
outside the fortress walls, but most likely with a female archer captain.
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